Cobourg council votes to strip harm reduction language from parks master plan
The draft proposal has gone from managed decline to managed co-existence with those making parks and playgrounds unsafe for children, families and seniors.
In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, June 24, Cobourg Council voted to adopt Mayor Cleveland’s motion to remove explicit pro-harm reduction and encampment-friendly language from the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Following intense public backlash that attempted to manage the decline of Cobourg’s beautiful parks and playgrounds, acquiescing them to open drug use, criminality and encampments, the motion is a victory for residents demanding family-friendly, safe public spaces.
Crowd of approx 450 erupts in supportive applause following this video depicting the absolutely vile behaviour the community surrounding 310 experiences
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) June 17, 2025
“We call police 1-5 times every single day” says this business owner pic.twitter.com/fiMKEXiZ0b
The revisions came after widespread criticism, including concerns raised by volunteers of the Ecology Garden, a cherished community space drawing 6,000 to 8,000 visitors annually.
Cheryl Kidd, Chair of the Coburg Ecology Gardeners, delivered a powerful delegation highlighting the human cost of unchecked drug use.
“A noticeable portion of the garden visitors fall into... the vulnerable sector, i.e. children, the elderly, those with disabilities,” Kidd stated. She detailed finding used syringes, aggressive incidents forcing volunteers to flee, and motionless individuals requiring paramedics. Volunteers contribute roughly 1,400 hours yearly, she said, which is equivalent to eight months of full-time work. Without them, Kidd explained, taxpayers could face $28,000 to $148,000 annually to maintain the garden.
Kidd urged council to “remove language from the Draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan that gives the impression that drug users are encouraged to come to the Cobourg Ecology Garden,” stressing the difference between unmonitored outdoor spaces and staffed facilities like libraries where sharps containers are currently installed.
The original draft had openly endorsed harm reduction measures, including syringe disposal bins, naloxone access, and “non-stigmatizing” signage, while framing parks as spaces to “balance enforcement with social support.” It acknowledged declining use by families due to visible drug activity at sites like the Ecology Garden, Westwood Park, Victoria Park Beach, and other playgrounds.
Mayor Cleveland had previously condemned the document: “This is social services advocacy language, not parks planning language,” he stated. “Cobourg is not a laboratory. Our parks are not campgrounds. Our tax dollars are not a subsidy for your ideology.”
At Wednesday’s meeting, he reinforced his stance: “I think we should be arresting people who are committing criminal acts in our parks and not designing our parks to be more anti-[social], but that’s just me.”
The updated draft removes the most overt endorsements of harm reduction, citing new provincial tools under Bill 6, the Safer Municipalities Act, along with municipal bylaws prohibiting encampments, nuisance behaviour, and illegal drug use. It references increased patrols and coordination with police and support providers.
However, Mrs. Kidd noted in her delegation that so far, this hasn’t been enough, and the updated draft still encompasses social services advocacy language, just in a more subtle form.
References to balancing enforcement with “social support,” maintaining existing sharps bins at sites like Rotary Harbourfront Park, and promoting “activation” through programming, lighting, and events treat open drug use and encampments as management challenges rather than enforcement priorities.
The promotion of additional family-style universal washrooms raises even more legitimate safety concerns in parks already struggling with disorder. Just ask any parent who has tried to use the family washroom at the Victoria Park playground.
While the revisions address surface-level backlash, it seems many are a political edit job; better PR for the same underlying direction.
Families and seniors are wary, volunteers are unsafe, and normal public enjoyment of parks continues to erode.
Council’s action is a step forward, but as Kidd and others stressed, true safety demands removing any language that prioritizes accommodation over clear, consistent enforcement of the law.
Cobourg’s parks belong to families, children, and taxpayers. They’re not testing grounds for ideological experiments.
The coming months will reveal whether this marks a genuine reset toward safety-first spaces that uphold law and order, or simply a managed decline with improved wording.
COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-06-26 20:54:27 -0400 FlagIt’s a start but ONLY a start. Parks are NOT campgrounds and drug use hurts all citizens in one way or another. This also is why we must monitor municipal affairs. We’re their bosses but they act like we’re their wards.
